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Re: When it's time to go home.
There is some help in Spain..
Age Concern España | Promoting the well-being of older ... acespana.org/ Age Concern España, a fully registered not for profit Spanish organisation, has been providing support and promoting the well being of the over 50s in Spain ... Google+ page · Be the first to review Passatge Santa Catalina de Sena, 4, 07002 Palma de Mallorca, ISLAS BALEARES, Spain +34 678 35 20 40 ‎Contact us - ‎AC Estepona y Manilva Contact us | Age Concern España acespana.org/contact-us/ Please click on the links below to see the relevant contact details. Local Organisations | Age Concern España acespana.org/acos/ The Age Concern Organisations (ACOs) provide services to those who are ... Age Concern (Spain) information - HousingCare.org Care homes, retirement property and elderly home care - UK › Read about › Library › Browse by publisher Information for older people provided by Age Concern (Spain). Includes factsheets, books, articles, audio tapes, videos, websites. Either download online below, ... [PDF] Retiring abroad - Age UK http://britishexpats.com/forum/spain...d_inf.pdf.pdf?... This information guide has been prepared by Age UK and contains general advice only ..... offices in Spain and can also put you in touch with other solicitors ... |
Re: When it's time to go home.
Age Concern España | Promoting the well-being of older ...
acespana.org/ Through our volunteers we provide a range of services to help with integration into Spanish life and to provide information, advice and support for common ... ‎Contact us - ‎AC Estepona y Manilva - ‎Local Organisations - ‎Returning to the UK Growing old gracefully < Getting Started | Expatica Spain Expatica – news and information for the international community. › Home › Moving to › Getting Started 10 Jan 2005 - Age Concern Costa Blanca Sur is probably the largest UK-style charity to help the aged on the Costa Blanca, in south-eastern Spain. Help for aged parents : British Expat Discussion Forum britishexpats.com › Forum › Living & Moving Abroad › Europe › Spain 26 Jun 2012 - 4 posts - ‎4 authors Hi, Does anyone know if it is possible to get any help from Social services in Spain, in particular, help with an Alcoholic parent that is now... How can I help my aged parents in Spain? 15 posts 20 Jun 2012 Help for elderly expats 15 posts 6 Aug 2010 More results from britishexpats.com |
Re: When it's time to go home.
Originally Posted by jimenato
(Post 11296551)
Moses 2013 I'm afraid that you haven't got this right at all. The help available in Spain is minimal - not like the UK at all - I know this for a fact.
I know people in the situation that they have become ill, been 'fixed up' in hospital and sent home completely unable to fend for themselves. If it wasn't for the help of acquaintances raising money for their care and indeed providing care themselves they would likely starve and die in squalor. It's not 'the same back home'. Nothing like it. |
Re: When it's time to go home.
None of us thought much about returning home when we first arrived at our expat destination all that time ago. I'm sure funeral insurance was way down the list of our things to do and none of us planned on getting so ill that someone would have to come and wipe our arse for us.
We were full of optimism, full of plans for a life in the sun - we opened bars, became qualified builders overnight, and generally re-invented ourselves. It was a time of adventure and fun; selling our semi in Hornchurch allowed us to buy a villa with a swimming pool and a Mercedes to impress our neighbours. But, a few years on, the bones start to creak and funny lumps appear where they shouldn't. Like many others, I will probably leave it too late to return. I don't even like to think about it. |
Re: When it's time to go home.
Originally Posted by Moses2013
(Post 11297517)
The same can happen in the UK and plenty of people (even in the UK) don't get the care they deserve and paid for. Fact is that old people retire to Spain for a reason and nobody can tell them when it's time to go home. Spain is still well ahead when it comes to healthcare and it's not a third world country. The only advice you can give to the elderly is to maybe get insurance and check what options are availbale in advance.
But care in the home is the responsibility of the extended family. If you are not bringing family to Spain or your extended family will not fly out to care for you if you get in trouble, then you are in a very vulnerable position As for the "Latin American carers" in Madrid. These are paid for by family members and are on minimum wage, the state does not supply them. There are 10,000s of such carers across Spain |
Re: When it's time to go home.
Originally Posted by HBG
(Post 11297541)
None of us thought much about returning home when we first arrived at our expat destination all that time ago. I'm sure funeral insurance was way down the list of our things to do and none of us planned on getting so ill that someone would have to come and wipe our arse for us.
We were full of optimism, full of plans for a life in the sun - we opened bars, became qualified builders overnight, and generally re-invented ourselves. It was a time of adventure and fun; selling our semi in Hornchurch allowed us to buy a villa with a swimming pool and a Mercedes to impress our neighbours. But, a few years on, the bones start to creak and funny lumps appear where they shouldn't. Like many others, I will probably leave it too late to return. I don't even like to think about it. |
Re: When it's time to go home.
Originally Posted by BEVS
(Post 11297164)
I had the same with my Dad. That period as he was dying was hell.
If they are of their own mind then their wishes cannot be over-ridden and ignored, no matter what. The person cannot be compelled. It is the same vice versa of course. If the person really , desperately needs hospital attention and even if an ambulance is called or a doctor makes those calls , if the person states they will not go, then they do not go. One small interesting thing from my own experience. If the person require a saline drip just to help ease some difficulties , then that can only be done in hospital. No go to hospital, then continue to suffer. Having written that, at the final time, all the services did the best they as my Dad slowly died in his own home. I was given good support and so was he. Without them it would have been a far worse hell than it was Dad outlasted just about all his contemporaries and used to hit little bits of depression and circumspection when he heard of those younger than him who had died. It is something that we all have to "look forward to". Whilst sister and I were about 70 miles away from dad, I and BH will now be 1500 miles away. As I said earlier, this is why we took a really serious look at our house hunting specification (and probably upset a couple of estate agents along the way :thumbup:). Being dragged to see houses halfway up a hill (gorgeous view if no cloud) with a dirt track shared with 3 others that becomes a river in the rainy season. Being dragged round houses that are made up of 3 or 4 cottages with the door sills still in place - one was just like being back on a warship with metal watertight doors. Where we are now isn't ideal, isn't next door to the hospital - which might have helped last year - but it is the best we can find. At this stage there is no going home, we are happy here, we have our own plot. The UK has grown away from the "living in everyone's pockets" with all the family within a couple of houses or at worst case streets. The care in the family isn't there because the family isn't there. Blame Tebbitt for telling us to get on our bikes and look for work. Which we have now done in finding our retirement place. Conversely the Spanish who left Spain to work are returning for their retirement and are also finding problems in getting medical and financial payments. :( |
Re: When it's time to go home.
Originally Posted by Moses2013
(Post 11297517)
The same can happen in the UK and plenty of people (even in the UK) don't get the care they deserve and paid for. Fact is that old people retire to Spain for a reason and nobody can tell them when it's time to go home. Spain is still well ahead when it comes to healthcare and it's not a third world country. The only advice you can give to the elderly is to maybe get insurance and check what options are availbale in advance.
My wife and I have no children to wipe our bums and if we did I wouldn't want them to do it. At some point we will have to take a close look at what we are doing and make some difficult choices. |
Re: When it's time to go home.
I've had a quick read back through this thread and I have to say that those who 'leave it too late' are being either irresponsible or selfish or possibly ignorant.
If they are ignorant they might believe they will get cared for like they would be in the UK - they will not. If they just assume that family or some nice people will put themselves out and disrupt their own lives to help them they are selfish. If they just don't care or haven't thought about it at all they are irresponsible. To be fair there is a fourth type - those who know they should change their circumstances, are possibly worried sick about it but just can't because they are stuck with a worthless house and not enough income to do what they know they should. I know several of these. |
Re: When it's time to go home.
I could be wrong but I think things have changed in a relatively short time.
Some 25 years ago, both of my parents started a downward spiral of serious health problems. During this time it had a significant effect on our life - career, family etc. Indirectly, my career probably never fully recovered. However, at the time, we didn't give any of it a second thought - it just seemed right. Now, our children are approaching the age when it all started for us. Sadly, I'm not confident that we would receive the same level of support. A difficult subject to talk about, but I wonder what others think |
Re: When it's time to go home.
Originally Posted by jimenato
(Post 11297567)
Yes - of course it can happen in the UK - but that is when things go wrong whereas here in Spain it is the norm. Spain is great for some things and I would far rather live there than in the UK but end of life care doesn't happen in Spain as it does in the UK.
My wife and I have no children to wipe our bums and if we did I wouldn't want them to do it. At some point we will have to take a close look at what we are doing and make some difficult choices. |
Re: When it's time to go home.
Originally Posted by Moses2013
(Post 11297591)
Even with kids, most won't and can't do it anyway. I've read an interesting article in Germany, as there are more and more kids sending their parents to care homes in Poland. Care in the UK is also too expensive, so I reckon staying in Spain is not always the worst option.
I hope you speak fluent Spanish! |
Re: When it's time to go home.
Originally Posted by cricketman
(Post 11297594)
Spanish nursing homes are expensive too. Someone I know pays 2,000 euros per month for their father. OK it is a private home, state run ones are a bit cheaper but worse quality
I hope you speak fluent Spanish! Pflegestufe I für erhebliche Pflegebedürftige: 2.365€ Pflegestufe II für schwer Pflegebedürftige: 2.795€ Pflegestufe III für schwerst Pflegebedürftige: 3.252€ There are now plenty of care homes in Spain for foreign nationals and I reckon we'll see more in the future. |
Re: When it's time to go home.
Originally Posted by Moses2013
(Post 11297603)
€2,000 euros isn't bad when you look at other places. In Germany the average cost is higher: You have 3 grades and even the lowest is more expensive.
Pflegestufe I für erhebliche Pflegebedürftige: 2.365€ Pflegestufe II für schwer Pflegebedürftige: 2.795€ Pflegestufe III für schwerst Pflegebedürftige: 3.252€ There are now plenty of care homes in Spain for foreign nationals and I reckon we'll see more in the future. In the UK where I know (the South West) there are huge numbers of care homes of various kinds everywhere. Some are nursing homes (extremely expensive), many are owned or privately rented retirement flats with on-site full time carers. The carers are either local authority provided or subsidised or private. There are also of course local authority care homes. Much of the private sector is funded by people releasing capital by selling their houses and of course if you rely on the local authority facilities you have to sell your house anyway. Come to think if it the state of the housing market is possibly why there isn't much interest in setting up care homes in Spain. |
Re: When it's time to go home.
Care of the elderly will be the next big industry in Spain, but unless it is properly regulated, staffed with qualified careers, there will be cases of abuse, rip offs etc.Moses keeps running down the UK and saying it's no better, but in the end it's best all round both for the people whose lives will be affected.
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